WWI Poem: The Trenches

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I'll tell you about the trenches,
Soiled in sweat and rain,
Knee-deep in mud and debris,
Your body racked with pain.
Ashes fall like black snow,
Weapons thunder, bullets fly.
You're overwhelmed with fear,
As you hear the wounded cry.

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I'll tell you about the trenches,
Explosions rage all around,
Praying not to die here,
As gunfire shakes the ground.
No food, no water, no sleeping,
You can't survive much longer,
Blood and corpses strewn everywhere,
Still you know you have to be stronger.

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I'll tell you about the trenches,
a brutal, reeking, muddy tomb,
For soldiers scourged by poison,,
And others torn and doomed.
Some sacrifice is deadly.
Freedom comes at a high cost.
But nothing in the universe
Can avenge all innocent lives lost.

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